Enhancing Your Spirituality
BY JEFF DAVIDSON

You can enhance spirituality every day.  No matter where you live, you can always find opportunities for enrichment if you try.

A woman once approached the spiritual leader Ram Dass after a lecture he gave. She told him that she was having a terrible time finding spirituality in her city. She happened to live in New York City.

Ram Dass thought about her predicament and then told her, "I want you to spend the next year finding spirituality every place you go... in New York City." Enhancing your spirituality is not necessarily a question of where you live, but how you live.

Engage in some type of kind behavior toward a total stranger once a week, or if you have enough opportunities, once a day.

A long-time fable has I it that a man was passing through a small town and asked the shopkeeper what the townspeople were like. The shopkeeper thought about the question and asked what the people were like where the traveler lived. The traveler explained all that was good and bad about the people from where he was from. Most of his explanation was about what he didn't like in his neighbors and fellow citizens.

When he was through the shopkeeper said, "Well, I guess the people around here are pretty much like that." Yes, there are certain local and regional differences between those who live in different places. If you accept the fundamental notion, however, that the similarities between people are greater than the differences, then whatever you experience in relations with others now is what you're likely to experience someplace else. What about acting with spirituality right where you are, right now?

Why not set as a goal to engage in some type of kind behavior toward a total stranger once a week, or if you have enough opportunities, once a day? It could be something as simple as holding the elevator door when you know someone is trying to make it in, or not giving someone a lecture when they put you on hold for a few more seconds than you would have preferred to be put on hold.

Here are some other suggestions. Note that all of them are small, and entirely do-able. Hence, your goal could be to engage in at least one of these per day:

bulletPick up some litter in the street or in someone else's yard.
bulletLet others get in line ahead of you when it appears that their need is more urgent.
bulletCall back a party who apparently overcharged you, being gracious the entire time.
bulletWrite somebody a thank-you letter when they weren't expecting it.
bulletWrite a thank-you note to a stranger who did something good for your town.
bulletKeep your word.  Want to take your spirituality to a higher level? Here are goals you might wish to adopt in pursuit of being a more spiritual person. These are all challenging and potentially reachable, and you'll have to decide how often you'll engage in the behavior be it daily, weekly, or what have you.
bulletReflect and be thankful for all that has been given to you.
bulletRecognize the sanctity of all of earth's creatures.
bulletDeepen your understanding of human spirituality.
bulletBe kind and charitable to others.
bulletPractice charity at home.
bulletDispense good will towards humankind.

Enhancing your spirituality and focusing on becoming a more spiritual person will make your life more rewarding. Through your kind actions and inner calm, you may be able to attain feelings of inner peace and contentment.

Copyright 2003. Jeff Davidson, MBA, CMC, is a popular conference speaker and author of 28 books, including Breathing Space (Feb 2000) For books, videos, cassettes, or presentations, visit www.BreathingSpace.corn, fax (919) 932-9982, or call (919) 932-1996

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